Cyprus Local Reference INFOrmation
Information on drinks and alcoholic beverages in Cyprus, with details of Cypriot coffee culture, beer and wine.
Cypriot CoffeeThere is a strong coffee culture in Cyprus with traditionally-made coffee often served in the morning. Cypriot coffee is made by mixing freshly roasted and ground beans with cold water and sugar in a briki, or coffee pot. The mixture is then bought to the boil, which produces a creamy foam on top and is served short and black with a side glass of cold water.
BeerThere are two breweries on the south of the island producing KEO beer and Carlsberg. The KEO brewery in Limassol, opened in 1951, produces about 30,000 hectolitres of larger monthly.
The Carlsberg brewery in Cyprus opened in 1967 and was the first brewery to produce the Carlsberg brand outside Denmark. The Cyprus Museum of Natural History is located in the brewery's gardens just outside Nicosia.
WineCyprus is one of the world's oldest wine producers, however, with the new production methods Cypriot wine is sometimes referred to as "New World wine". The most famous wine produced is the sweet dessert wine Commandaria. The native grape varieties are Mavro and Xynisteri but others are used too. Most of the wines are produced by monasteries, round the Troodos mountains and production is based on traditional methods.
ZivaniaZivania is a traditional Cypriot alcoholic beverage with a light aroma of raisins. It is a distillate produced from pomace, the residue of grapes that were pressed during the winemaking process, mixed with local wine. The alcohol content is typically 45 percent by volume, though up to 90 percent can be found. Zivania is served ice-cold as an aperitif.
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